First Impressions

Have you ever met someone only to learn later they are not who you thought? I saw the video below several years ago and was reminded of it again recently during a conversation with a friend. And it got me thinking. How many times do my preconceived notions affect my interactions? If you haven’t taken […]

We all do it. We meet someone and immediately form an opinion about them.  Imagine a speech bubble popping up over a person’s head and a word being inserted in it: Words like: Friend Foe Indifference Rich Powerful Generic Influential Kind Insecure Helpful Arrogant Smart Intimidating Needy Etc… It’s sad but true. Your brain is

It’s Happening! Life is beginning to “go back to normal” which means we need to review a very basic, yet important, re-entry skill. Remember the handshake? It’s hard to know if it will fully come back in vogue, but I’ve got you covered just in case! But first, why are handshakes so important? If you’ve

I’ve been talking and thinking a lot about (read obsessed) our video backgrounds lately. You can imagine my delight then when I stumbled across this scientific study that indicates we can tell a great deal about a person’s personality by their office background (cue harp music). I love body language. Yet as I continue to

As seen in last week’s episode (okay fine, blog post) we talked about keeping virtual backgrounds in our “fun” or “social category” instead of professional because of its fake vibe. Being inauthentic is a huge body language no-no because keeping things in alignment helps build trust and likability. I already hear you shouting, “But virtual

We are many months into our virtual reality world and I’m still trying to figure out what exactly it is I need to be doing. The first few months felt like I was rubbing my eyes from a long night’s slumber, which then moved into staring blankly, and eventually transitioned into me squinting while attempting

Gather around everyone, Auntie Kristin wants to tell you a story! The year is 1960. Vice President Richard Nixon and Senator John F. Kennedy have agreed to do the first televised presidential debate on September 26th, and 70 million viewers tune in to watch the debate. Check out the first 23 seconds of the debate

Let’s face it, looks matter. Whether it’s the beautiful job applicant or the handsome local server at your favorite hangout, attractive people certainly have an advantage. They are perceived as having better personalities and tend to make more money. I’m old enough to remember the stir that was created when Julia Roberts married Lyle Lovett

As a child, I would ask my mom if she was mad at me and she’d be surprised because, in her mind, her face was relaxed and in a neutral position. And as genetics (and the mother’s wish) work, I went on to be asked these similar kinds of questions. Yes, I too, suffer from

I recently did a virtual presentation and received a question inquiring about the importance of being on camera on a group call or webinar. This got me thinking. As a body language trainer, my reaction is a big YES, you need to be on camera when on a group call. Why you ask? Would you